Sunday, August 21, 2016

August ~ the early edition

We are heading out on a road trip this week...on a 'roads less traveled' adventure in northern British Columbia.  I'm sure there will be stories to tell and photos to share once we are back...but for now let me share a few snapshots from August 'to this point'.
 

I'll start with a sunset over the corn field...and God's handi-work in the sky! 



The new MGCC Bread for the Journey book is just off the press...and we had a book launch night at the Mennonite Heritage Museum.   It was a wonderful evening from start to finish, with stories shared and Zwieback demo'd, baked and sampled.  We were overwhelmed and blessed by the support that evening...from family and friends who came out as well as those who sent flowers and their best wishes.



Would you not be beyond delighted if you stopped by someone's place to drop something off and discovered you were 'the guest of honour' at a table set beautifully for afternoon tea?  I had a few quick errands to run before leaving on our family camping weekend and let my aunt know that I would be dropping off a few things for her that afternoon.  What a surprise when I arrived to see the lovely table ready and waiting...and then to discover it was for me.  And what a disappointment that I had to rush on and could not stay to enjoy a lovely visit around that table.  I hope there is a next time.  Love you, Aunt Maggie and Uncle Jake!



We decided that instead of taking all the grands camping two-at-a-time this year, we would do a family camping weekend instead.  We found a lovely spot at Brae Island in Fort Langley...with all our campsites together. 



With the Olympics in Rio opening that same weekend...we decided to host our own 'family Olympics'.  From lawn-skiiing...to hoop tossing...to a lot of games that involved water balloons...it was a fun time for all skill levels. :)



Emme and Spencer found the perfect game for the finale...Bean Boozled Jelly Beans.  Oh boy!  If anyone ever suggests you participate...run! As you can tell, Lucy did not find it all amusing to eat jelly beans that tasted like 'skunk'.  Most of us dropped out after a few rounds.  Micah...age 6...was the gold-medal winner.  He either has an iron stomach or an iron will!




Lucy will not be eating jelly beans again any time soon!

 

Here was another first for us...camping with puppies.  Sweet Chester just arrived at his new home...and they weren't about to leave him 'home alone' for the weekend.  I'm wondering if he will still be such a cuddle bear when he weighs 200 pounds.



The following week...I joined Heidi and the girls at Bridal Falls for a few more days of camping.



We played games, hiked to the falls, went to the pool, watched Veggie Tales before bedtime...



...and rode the horse that does not buck.

There were so many more things that happened these past few weeks...we celebrated Kris's birthday with him (can it really be 43 years since we became parents?), attended a luncheon at which he was the guest speaker, were at two funerals of men who had lived their lives well (dads to good friends), and met up with old friends from East Chilliwack in the '60's.  And on the farm...all the fourth cut grass was harvested.



I'll leave you with one last photo-memory of August 2016...that of my granddaughters swinging into the sunset.

Did I mention that it has been VERY warm here this past while?  Fall may be around the corner, but we are experiencing summer weather at it's finest.  Enjoy these last days of August!

11 comments:

  1. So lovely... the sunsets and everything in between.
    What fun to have a family camping trip complete with Olympic games. Oh the memories your grands will have of these wonderful times.
    It would be a wonderful surprise indeed to arrive at your aunt and uncle's house to such a beautifully set table. The napkin fold is especially pretty.
    That Chester is adorable. It will be interesting to see him when he is full grown.
    Have a safe and enjoyable trip. See you in September.

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  2. This will certainly do until the "to be continued" edition is available! As always, fun and family feature prominently. Warm congratulations on the new book...must get cracking and order two...one for a giveaway and one to keep. I must keep a good thing going since you gals are still running the race. Have a wonderful vacation these next few weeks...

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  3. Fantastic photos . Sounds like you have had a good August so far to .It has been very hot and humid for us here as well except today and this evening is so very nice and cool a nice break from it all . Thanks for sharing , Have a wonderful trip .

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  4. Beautiful pictures of your August thus far! The swings in the sunset ones are just brilliant! Have a fabulous road trip. Looking forward to your "postcards". Safe travels ...

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  5. A full August already and there is more to come. I now can picture your camping spot after visiting Fort Langley and going across the bridge to the island. Looking forward to your new adventures on roads less traveled.

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  6. Your August has been filled with LIFE! The energy of those grands is really something. It was so hot in Chilliwack this past weekend. We were there celebrating my mother's 80th birthday. Sweltering! Have a great trip!

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  7. We played that Jelly Bean game too - the bad ones are disgusting! But lots of laughter at the faces made eating them :)

    What a lovely family time together.

    And I love that sunset swing shot - gorgeous!

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  8. It was certainly a family-filled month for you. I love the idea of camping with the grands and might be persuaded to dust off the old camping equipment for next summer. You make it look like such fun!

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  9. I will need to get those game ideas from you as it looks like so much fun! Always at a loss when it come to planning anything like that. Love your pictures!

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  10. WOW! Sounds great. It was a good idea to give the children an opportunity to bring their talents out.

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  11. Camping with the entire family sounds like a wonderful idea! Once our youngest grand is out of diapers I think we will try that! I think my grandsons had those horrid jelly beans once--I could not understand why they would want them. It has also been an unusually hot summer here. I am ready for autumn!

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